(2024 Update) The basement, which includes a fireplace, has now been Waterproofed to make it a truly useful storage area. There is much more work needed to make this sizable area serve our purposes.

In December, we accepted a grant from the GO Laurel Highlands Visitors Bureau. Thanks to them we were able to waterproof the basement of the Gibson house to preserve it for many years to come.

Work on the basement wrapped up on 3/1/24.

Thank you D bug Waterproofing and Treasurer Ethan Keedy.

The grant was made possible due to lodging tax and the Fayette County, PA commissioners.

Thank you Commissioners Scott Dunn, Dave Lohr, and Vince Vicites for the opportunity to continue to build Fayette County and share our history with people from all over the world.

We're working to Educate/Preserve Connellsville history for current and future generations.

Ethan Keedy, our former Treasurer, started a grant form for the 2023 Laurel Highlands Hotel Tax Grant requesting financial help to make the use of the basement a reality.

WHAT HISTORY THIS HOUSE HAS SEEN!!

Our historic home, the GIBSON HOUSE, has seen plenty of this community and nation’s history. When our country was only 42 years old in 1818, this very fine Georgian style home was built for the iron master’s family, the Gibson family, This well constructed house on the hill overlooking the Youghiogheny River has been home to numerous families until 2001 when a devastating fire did great damage to the home then owned and lived in by the Enderle family.

GIBSON HOUSE FIRE DAMAGE

When the Gibson House was purchased in 2002, there was considerable damage to the building due to two fires occurring in the structure. We purchased the building from the Enderle family because we realized the historic importance of this building and wished to preserve some of Connellsville's history. The Enderle family was also in negotiations with Chelsea Ritenour concerning the building. Mr. Ritenour, after speaking with Karen Hechler, agreed that the Historical Society should purchase the house from the owners and restore this part of our city's heritage.

We paid using the money that had been made through the publishing and selling of early local histories. But there was no money left to do the necessary repairs to stabilize the structure. That was when Harry Porter went to work with the tremendous help of Paula Grubach of the Connellsville Redevelopment Authority to find funding to put a new roof on the Gibson House, restore the chimneys, replace the furnace, replace the windows, put in a security system and continue with all the many repairs and replacements that were needed. One of the major grants came through the Rivers of Steel Foundation.

 We thought that we had lots of space in which to create the History Center of Connellsville but first the house needed a new roof and new chimneys. The interior had to be cleaned out after two fIres, and the walls needed to be plastered. The front door had to be restored to its former glory. A handicapped bathroom was installed so all visitors were accommodated; and a small kitchenette was added. The stairway and the woodwork had to be replaced.

The carpentry work was basically done by Art Graham, a master craftsman. He wrote me a letter thanking me for allowing him to replace the woodwork in the building, I had to write back and tell him that we were honored to have him do our woodwork because he was one of the best carpenters. The attic had to be made useful, windows replaced, air conditioning and heat added, etc. The small bedroom was turned into storage for out archival collections. Some rooms have been earmarked for special use, like the Harry Porter Military Room and the Nelda Kern Graham Display Room. We have filled up much of the space in the Gibson House.

We are also going to launch a city-wide appeal to the public to help us preserve and protect this amazing building, the Gibson House, which has been involved in most of the history of Connellsville Area. If you have ideas on how we can launch a fundraising campaign to be able to afford the many improvements that need to be done at the Gibson House location, please contact the Connellsville Historical Society at 217 West Patterson Avenue or call 724-628-5344. We need work done outside like a new wall along Patterson Avenue and good night lighting. The attic needs to be made into a useful spot for storage. There is always something that needs done just like the maintaining of your own home. It is never finally done. You can contact me also at khistory@zoominternet.net 

EXTERIOR PHOTOS (WINTER 2023)

THE GIBSON HOUSE: A CONNELLSVILLE CLASSIC

By: Karen Heckler

Walking to the stadium for Friday night fall football games is a tradition in many American towns. Connellsville is no exception, and I was one of those fans. There are numerous ways to reach our stadium, but my way often included walking along Patterson Avenue to pick up Arch Street and finally arrive at our “Coker” Stadium. Even as a teenager, I was intrigued by a stunning stone house along the way. The architecture was handsome, and the house was definitely old. I had no idea about the history of the house; all I knew was that it was a classic and very different from the surrounding houses. That was obvious even to a kid. Since history has always been a passion of mine, I had great interest in knowing more about this house. Over the years, traveling south along Arch Street, the Gibson Stone House on the hill always caught my attention, and I dreamed about how it would look if the distinctly unique front doorway was restored to its original splendor. It could be a showcase for Connellsville. Certainly, I was not the only person recognizing the importance of this house. The Connellsville Area Historical Society has documentation from 1977 in which Helen E. Spotts and Shirley A. Younkin of Connellsville completed an extensive study of the Gibson House that was sent to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum 7 Article by Karen Hechler Originally Published in 2010 March 2018 Commission requesting that the Gibson House be included in the Pennsylvania Inventory of Historic Places. At that time, the Gibson House was owned by Greensburg Savings & Loan Association. In a letter dated October 6, 1977, the house had been evaluated and determined to be worthy of inclusion in the Pennsylvania Inventory of Historic Places. Gibson is a prominent name in Connellsville history. The first Gibson within the confines of our city was John Gibson who came to our area in 1793 from Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Mr. Gibson purchased land from William McCormick and also partnered with him in a sawmill business. John Gibson also was associated with Isaac Meason and Moses Dillon in the iron production business. Other businesses the men were also involved in included: a grist mill, nail factory, oil press, and iron forge. The only iron furnace to stand within the Connellsville city limits was the Etna Furnace, also called the Mt. Etna Furnace, which was located at the south end of Etna Street. The furnace was built around 1815 by Thomas and Joseph Gibson, sons of John Gibson. The house, that is now known as the Gibson House, was built by the Gibson family in the Georgian architectural style and is one of the oldest houses in Connellsville, built in 1818. The main entrance of the house faces South Arch Street. This door is centered on the front facade and is semi-elliptical in shape. The main facade has four windows on the first floor, five windows on the second floor, and two windows on the basement level. The first floor originally had three rooms and an entrance hall. The second floor had four rooms, and the third floor being an unfinished attic. Over the years, the Gibson House has had numerous owners. My long time interest in the house and my association with the Connellsville Area Historical Society resulted in the purchase of this historic house in 2002. There had been two devastating fires in the house in 2002, and it appeared that the Gibson House might go the way of other historically and architecturally important buildings in Connellsville and be torn down. Fortunately, that was not the case. The Historical Society was able, in July 2002, to purchase the house. Due to the fire, there was a major hole in the roof which needed attention as soon as possible to protect the integrity of the building. Since the Historical Society had spent our cash for the purchase of the Gibson House, we had to search for sources of income to repair fire 8 March 2018 damages and restore the house to its original state as much as we possibly could. To begin the initial repairs, the Historical Society in partnership with the Connellsville Redevelopment Authority and the City of Connellsville arrange for the house to be cleared of all clutter and fire debris and to get the roof patched as winter. was approaching. With non-profit organizations such as the Historical Society, we must apply for grants for restoration. Before applying for grant to restore a building, an architectural survey and study has to be made.

This costly venture was paid for by a Charter Member of the Historical Society, Carmel Caller. Now armed with architectural plans, we went out to seek grants Throughout the years, we have received grants and private donations making it possible to restore the chimney, replace the roof, install a furnace, replace the pipes, install a handicapped restroom, plaster the walls, replace the floors downstairs with new hard wood flooring, replace the windows, restore the front door, etc. All this work has been done under the careful eye of Harry Porter, Historical Society board member. All woodwork remaining on the first floor's south room was completed by Art Graham in honor of his late wife, Nelda Kern Graham. The Connellsville Area Historical Society held its first official meeting in the Gibson House on Thursday, October 14, 2010. Lucy King presented a program on the history of Bohemian Glass, and Jean Porter and Martha Luppold, Historical Society board members, served refreshments. There is still much to do inside and outside the house. But so much has been done, and the Historical Society is pleased to know that the Gibson House will continue to exist thanks to our efforts. This is one of Connellsville's treasures that is being restored and will continue to be a reminder of our important industrial past. So that young girl's interest, years ago, in this unusual and historic house in Connellsville has come full circle. It needed to be saved and restored and that process is still going on. Plans are being made to have the Gibson House open for visitors on certain days by the spring of 2011. There are displays of Connellsville memorabilia to enjoy and collections of Connellsville documents for study and research. The Gibson House needs to be used and visited by local citizens and visitors to our community We are constantly searching for additional information and artifacts about our city and surrounding areas to better tell the story of Connellsville. The Gibson Stone House is indeed one of Connellsville's treasures and a perfect repository for Connellsville memories.